I’m finding it odd that there aren’t any panning functions on a $2000 kit (P4P). Looking at other mixers, this just appears to be something that doesn’t exist in the DJ world. Have DJs never manipulated the panning of a track? How about, at the very least, some panning effects? I really feel like you guys are missing out on huge opportunity to mix things proper.
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If you search the manual for ‘pan’ you’ll find a couple of references.
What page?
There’s not one single control for panning. If there is it’s buried in a menu. Which means it’s non-playable.
The best it has is a delay effect called Ping Pong.
Synchronizing panning effects to the BPM seems like a huge missing factor to me. As well as knobs per channel to tweak and mangle on the fly. How is this not something DJ’s want?
Or how about this, imagine if you could tie your fader cuts to pan hard left and right at the same time. Trust me, the effect would be mind blowing.
You’re right. Panning is not common on DJ kit.
Think about it though - pan controls are typically found on mono channels. DJs play stereo files. Therefore strictly speaking it would be a balance control.
With a stereo signal, using the balance to swing things left and right, at either extreme you’d be losing half your source material - either the left or right channel.
Not necessarily. On the common analog implementation, yes, but digitally, you can easily bleed the attenuated side to the other. You’d run into some cancellation and phase issues, but if a flanger is no problem, I don’t see why this is 
A simple button could sum the stereo to mono w/ my dream mixer.
Some of these tricks could be easily implemented into their firmware. No physical switches or dials, but panning fx, and maybe a sweep fx is added. So actually a dial could be implemented.
It will never happen. I just can’t understand why not.
Clubs are set up for mono not stereo so panning will do nothing.
If you want to do panning at home or mix tape you can make it happen via effector.
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It’s another case of not every bit of kit has everybodies favourite/ niche/ overplayed/ retro feature built into it.
For around £60 secondhand you can get this (also InMusic)
interesting effector… all the controls on the right hand side relate to Panning. Shame though it is to “have” to carry an extra box, cable and power supply.
If you’re digging through eBay, you might even be able to find an Alesis Auto-planner , which was more like a guitar foot pedal shape and did less than the pictured item, but it’s something, if you really can’t live without panning
I’m taking my “mixing” back to Ableton. I need more control than what these kits can offer. I would have loved to learn how to scratch, but I don’t have the time to, to be honest.
Cheers to all of you who can make it happen with these kits. It really is an art. Especially when your scratches become a major element of the mix.
not necessarily. I have been in clubs where there crowd is right between the speakers (2 rows of 6-8 speakers left and right of the dancefloor). A flanger or chorus really does something to your brain if you’re in the middle of such a stereo setup.
But I think you’ve thouched the truth here: many systems are mono, and a pan effect would do nothing. We have gear that you can only use on half your gigs
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Oh hang on a sec, I’ve just found something that has pan and balance controls…
That is a broadcast mixer. different beast. But the Iconic Rodec MX180 was a DJ mixer that had pan controls per stereo channel! Now I remember, I did use this from time to time… But then came Pioneer, and replaced the pan for an FX knob on their DJM800…
No, that is an anything mixer. That’s the whole idea of it being modular.
“I can’t go for that, NOo…”
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